Follow in the footsteps of Roman soldiers, discover the Minster’s connections to Viking York and see archaeological finds from across the centuries in the state-of-the-art chambers beneath the cathedral.
The Undercroft Museum tells the story of two millennia of York’s history through digital displays, interactive exhibits and artefacts from the cathedral’s historic collection.
Access to the Undercroft Museum is included with a sightseeing ticket, pre-book your ticket today.
Treasures of the Undercroft
Discover over 2,000 years of York Minster’s history through the precious artefacts that tell this story.
Go on a journey through time to see Anglo-Saxon coins uncovered during excavations, discover the “Horn of Ulf,” the treasure of a Viking lord, and admire beautifully detailed medieval manuscripts such as the York Gospels, all on display in the Undercroft Museum.
Discover the York Minster Collection
Explore Exhibitions
Head into the Treasury Exhibition space to discover the stories of York Minster.
Throughout 2026, explore the miracles, murder and mystery of our city’s patron saint in our new exhibition, St William of York: Life and Legacy. As we celebrate 800 years since the canonisation of William, take the rare opportunity to see pieces from his medieval Nave shrine returned to York Minster for the first time in almost 500 years. Explore his story and see precious artefacts that narrate the life of a man who devoted himself to our city and cathedral.
St William of York: Life and Legacy Exhibition
Underground Cinema
Did you know that York Minster has an underground cinema?
Journey through the Undercroft Museum to our underground cinema space, where you can see behind the scenes footage of York Minster. This year you can find out how we used cutting-edge digital technologies to recreate the 14th-century shrine of William of York, using video game software and 3D scanning.
Keep visiting to see more exclusive behind the scenes footage of the work that takes place at York Minster.
Find out more
Creating the Undercroft Museum
The Undercroft Museum is located beneath York Minster, in the space created between 1967 and 1972 while emergency works were carried out to underpin the cathedral’s Central Tower, which was at risk of collapse. Excavations uncovered a hidden history of the site, including the remains of a Roman barracks, an Anglo-Saxon cemetery and the foundations of the Norman Minster.
As you journey through the museum you can see both the remains of Roman barracks and the modern interventions added in the late 20th century.
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